The facts about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has been called the leading occupational hazard of the computer age. It’s is a condition that causes pain in our wrists and hands.

Dr. David Shapiro of the Cleveland Clinic treats Carpal tunnel Syndrome, he said the problems begin at the point where all of our nerves are being crammed into our wrist.

“Your arm is sort of like an hourglass and everything in your forearm that goes to your hand has to squeeze through your wrist." He explained "It’s a tight fit. If it’s too tight and you get symptoms, that’s what carpal tunnel syndrome is.“

Carpal tunnel syndrome begins to develop when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm to the palm of the hand, gets pinched or squeezed at the wrist.

Symptoms include pain, numbness, or weakness in the hand.

It’s long been thought that typing contributes to carpal tunnel’s development, but Dr. Shapiro said, contrary to popular belief, that is not the case.

“High impact, high vibration types of jobs like running air hammers, jackhammers, things like that, probably do raise the risk." He expanded, "Other occupations, repetitive low force like typing, is a great example, has been shown to have pretty much no increased risk or very little increased risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.“

Dr. Shapiro said carpal tunnel syndrome is more common in women than in men, especially when they’re pregnant.

it’s also more common in smokers than non-smokers and overweight people.

the good news is most people can manage the pain without surgery, or even medication.

“Sometimes just buying a little wrist splint at the drug store, you want one that holds your wrist kind of straight, not bent back like that and you wear it at night for a couple of week and that can stop and make a big difference, make the symptoms go away and very often they’ll stay away.“